XPO Stock Surges 39% Amid Manufacturing Optimism
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1h ago
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Should l Buy XPO?
Source: Fool
- Strong Revenue Growth: XPO's fourth-quarter revenue rose 5% to $2.01 billion, exceeding estimates of $1.95 billion, primarily driven by a 5.2% increase in yield, despite a 4.5% decline in daily tonnage, demonstrating the company's ability to maintain profitability in challenging conditions.
- Key Metrics Improvement: The company achieved significant improvements in key service metrics such as damage ratio and on-time delivery rate, enabling price increases, with an adjusted operating ratio in North America improving by 180 basis points to 84.4%, equating to a 15.6% operating margin, thereby enhancing its competitive position.
- Manufacturing Recovery Signals: The ISM report indicated that U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in January for the first time in over two years, with a reading of 52.6%, which is crucial for XPO as approximately two-thirds of its shipments are industrial goods, suggesting potential demand recovery ahead.
- Investment and Expansion: XPO has added 25 service centers, 19,000 trailers, and 6,000 tractors since 2022, and despite the current tough economic environment, the company is actively expanding into new premium services, which is expected to further enhance market share and free cash flow.
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Analyst Views on XPO
Wall Street analysts forecast XPO stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for XPO is 155.22 USD with a low forecast of 90.00 USD and a high forecast of 171.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
19 Analyst Rating
15 Buy
3 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 179.540
Low
90.00
Averages
155.22
High
171.00
Current: 179.540
Low
90.00
Averages
155.22
High
171.00
About XPO
XPO, Inc. is a provider of freight transportation services. The Company moves goods through its customers supply chains in North America and Europe. It operates through two segments: North American Less-Than-Truckload (LTL), and European Transportation. The North American LTL segment provides shippers with geographic density and day-definite domestic and cross-border services to the United States (U.S.), as well as Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. It also includes trailer manufacturing operations. The European Transportation segment offers a range of services, such as truckload, LTL, truck brokerage, managed transportation, last mile, freight forwarding and multimodal solutions, including road-rail and road-short sea combinations. It serves a base of customers in consumer, trade, and industrial markets. The Company offers XPO Smart, its proprietary suite of intelligent tools and analytics that self-adjusts site by site to drive productivity across LTL service center operations.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Significant Revenue Growth: XPO's Q4 revenue reached $2.01 billion, a 4.7% year-over-year increase, surpassing market expectations of $1.96 billion, indicating strong performance and growth potential in the market.
- Stable Adjusted Net Income: Although adjusted net income was $105 million, slightly down from $107 million last year, the adjusted EPS of $0.88 exceeded analyst expectations of $0.77, reflecting resilience in profitability.
- North American LTL Performance: The North American LTL segment reported revenue of $1.17 billion, a 0.8% year-over-year increase, with an improved adjusted operating ratio of 84.4%, showcasing success in cost control and operational efficiency.
- Strong European Transportation Segment: The European transportation segment generated $846 million in revenue, up 10.6% year-over-year, with adjusted EBITDA rising from $27 million to $32 million, indicating ongoing growth and enhanced profitability in international markets.
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- Strong Revenue Growth: XPO's fourth-quarter revenue rose 5% to $2.01 billion, exceeding estimates of $1.95 billion, primarily driven by a 5.2% increase in yield, despite a 4.5% decline in daily tonnage, demonstrating the company's ability to maintain profitability in challenging conditions.
- Key Metrics Improvement: The company achieved significant improvements in key service metrics such as damage ratio and on-time delivery rate, enabling price increases, with an adjusted operating ratio in North America improving by 180 basis points to 84.4%, equating to a 15.6% operating margin, thereby enhancing its competitive position.
- Manufacturing Recovery Signals: The ISM report indicated that U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in January for the first time in over two years, with a reading of 52.6%, which is crucial for XPO as approximately two-thirds of its shipments are industrial goods, suggesting potential demand recovery ahead.
- Investment and Expansion: XPO has added 25 service centers, 19,000 trailers, and 6,000 tractors since 2022, and despite the current tough economic environment, the company is actively expanding into new premium services, which is expected to further enhance market share and free cash flow.
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- Strong Revenue Growth: XPO reported a 5% increase in fourth-quarter revenue to $2.01 billion, surpassing estimates of $1.95 billion, driven by a 5.2% rise in yield despite a 4.5% decline in daily tonnage, demonstrating the company's ability to maintain profitability in challenging conditions.
- Operational Efficiency Gains: The company achieved record performance in key service metrics, such as damage ratio and on-time delivery rate, enabling price increases and significantly reducing outsourced linehaul miles, which improved margins with an adjusted operating ratio in North America rising 180 basis points to 84.4%.
- Market Demand Recovery: The ISM report indicated that U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in January for the first time in over two years, with a reading of 52.6%, which is crucial for XPO as approximately two-thirds of its shipments are industrial goods, suggesting that a manufacturing recovery could significantly boost volumes and revenue.
- Long-Term Investment Returns: XPO has made substantial investments over the past few years, adding 25 service centers, 19,000 trailers, and 6,000 tractors; although the current stock price is high with a P/E ratio around 50, the company expects to improve free cash flow, allowing for more cash to be returned to shareholders in the future.
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- Strong Financial Performance: XPO reported adjusted EBITDA of $312 million for Q4 2025, with adjusted EPS at $0.88, and an 11% year-over-year increase in EBITDA excluding real estate gains, demonstrating robust profitability even amid challenging conditions.
- Growth in North American LTL: The adjusted operating income for North American LTL reached $181 million, up 14% year-over-year, while the adjusted operating ratio improved by 180 basis points, indicating enhanced efficiency and profitability in a competitive market.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: The company anticipates total capital expenditures of $500 million to $600 million in 2026, reflecting confidence in future growth, alongside expectations for a 100 to 150 basis point improvement in operating ratio, showcasing management's optimistic outlook on profitability.
- Market Share Expansion: Despite a 1.6% decline in overall tonnage, XPO continues to gain market share in the most attractive segments, indicating the company's ability to seize growth opportunities even in the face of industry challenges.
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- Earnings Decline: XPO, Inc. reported a net income of $59 million for Q4, translating to $0.50 per share, which marks a significant drop from last year's $76 million and $0.63 per share, indicating pressure on profitability.
- Adjusted Earnings Performance: Excluding items, XPO's adjusted earnings stood at $105 million or $0.88 per share, showing some improvement compared to last year, yet failing to offset the overall decline in profitability.
- Revenue Growth: The company's revenue for the fourth quarter rose by 4.7% to $2.011 billion from $1.921 billion last year, indicating that despite challenges, XPO's business retains growth potential amid recovering market demand.
- Market Reaction: Despite revenue growth, the decline in earnings may negatively impact investor confidence, prompting XPO to implement effective strategies to enhance profitability and strengthen its competitive position.
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- Earnings Beat: XPO's Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $0.88 exceeded expectations by $0.12, reflecting strong profitability and boosting investor confidence in the company's financial health.
- Significant Revenue Growth: The company reported Q4 revenue of $2.01 billion, a 4.7% year-over-year increase, surpassing estimates by $60 million, indicating robust competitive positioning and business expansion capabilities.
- Industry Watch: As major trucking companies adjust to weak industrial demand, XPO's performance has drawn attention to trucking stocks, potentially influencing the overall market dynamics in the sector.
- Quant Rating Improvement: Seeking Alpha's quant rating highlights XPO's potential as a high-quality business, suggesting that despite cautious market valuations, it may still attract long-term investor interest.
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